


Take a Break

by sailorcreampuff



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Gift Exchange, Lawtsuda, M/M, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-16 03:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20180461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorcreampuff/pseuds/sailorcreampuff
Summary: Matsuda thinks L could use a little time away from the stress of the Kira case.





	Take a Break

L drummed his fingers idly against the keyboard, not actually typing; he just wanted to hear the tapping sound. His other hand was combing long fingers through his hair and his heart rate was speeding up from pure exasperation. Nothing made sense. He stretched his toes.

He clicked on the FBI profiles again. He scanned every single name twice over, looking for the tiniest extra inconsistency that he could latch on to as a lead. It was all the same as before. He bit the the nail of his thumb, hard. Then there was a knock at the door.

“What?” He called, flatly.

“It’s... It’s Matsuda!” Came a voice from the other side. “Should I come back later?”

No. He was one person L might actually want to see.

“You can come in,” He said, quieter this time.

Matsuda walked inside and shrugged off his suit jacket. “I just wanted to check on you. You’ve been isolating yourself for a good few hours now. Where’s Watari?”

“Gone,” L replied, his eyes still glued to that frustrating screen. “I occasionally have him wait nearby if I need time to myself. If circumstances are difficult, like they are today.”

“I see...” Matsuda sat on the edge of the bed, keeping a respectful distance from the other man. He understood that sometimes L wasn’t in an affectionate mood, and that it wasn’t his fault. It was one of the first things he’d learned when they’d entered their relationship. “Anything I can do to help out?”

L sighed. “I don’t think so... I’ve been running around in circles with this all day.”

“Have you... thought about taking a break?”

“I can’t. This is quite possibly the most important task in the world right now. If I don’t make any progress, the bad guys will win.”

“L...” Matsuda frowned. “What if I turned on some music? Would that help you focus?”

“I don’t know.” He shook his head.

“Music– or at least, classical music– is supposed to be really beneficial to concentration!” Matsuda explained brightly.

“I’m aware of the science.” L said curtly. However, he didn’t want to seem too dismissive, so he added: “...If you think it will help, you can put something on.”

With that, Matsuda left his peripheral vision, presumably to fiddle with the CD player in the back of the room. Within a few moments, the room was filled with the soft notes of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14. His boyfriend came back and sat beside him.

“I thought you’d like Moonlight Sonata. It’s kind of... somber.”

L nodded. “I do.”

It was a nice, introspective piece. L’s fingers hovered over the keys, and he suddenly felt a bit tired.

“Hey, L?” Matsuda murmured. Both the name used and his tone of voice were reserved for when the two were alone together.

“Hm?” He said, and actually turned to face him.

“Have you ever danced?”

L blinked. “I haven’t. It’s never been necessary.”

Matsuda was gently brushing his hand over his. “Necessary, huh?” His voice was wistful. “They never let you do what you wanted.”

He coughed awkwardly. “I didn’t particularly want to, either. It’s fine.”

“Can I teach you?”

The question shouldn’t have caught L off-guard, and yet, somehow, it did. Matsuda always surprised him. He hesitated, and the only noise in the room was the gentle music. Matsuda was looking at him imploringly.

A sigh. He flipped his laptop shut. “Yes.”

“Oh.” Matsuda blinked. “I wasn’t actually... expecting that? Um, let’s stand up then.”

Shuffling awkwardly to the center of the room, they both simply stood there for a moment, hovering, unsure of what to do next.

“Okay, I think generally... we start like this.” 

Matsuda guided L’s hands to his shoulders, then put his hands on L’s waist. It was comfortable.

“So, then, we just sort of...” Matsuda trailed off awkwardly, keeping a soft grip on his boyfriend’s waist. He took a step to the side. L followed suit.

“...Sway back and forth, like this.” He finished awkwardly.

L hummed in agreement, and found himself pulling the other man closer. They fell out of sync every now and then, but they took things slowly, like teenagers at prom. He didn’t usually like touching people, L thought, but his lover was sort of an exception.

They continued for a while, even after the music finished playing. The slow movements were starting to make him sleepy. “Thanks, Matsu,” he mumbled. “I think this helped after all.”

His boyfriend gave him a happy “mm” in response, and slowed their dancing to a stop. L’s eyelids were heavy. This did not go unnoticed.

With surprising strength, Matsuda gently picked him up (although, perhaps not that surprising– L had a frame like a wet noodle), carrying him back to bed. He found it difficult to protest as he was laid down on his favorite pillow.

“Wait, nooo... the case...” He mumbled.

“Will get solved a lot faster when your brain is well-rested,” Matsuda finished. He straightened out a couple of fluffy blankets, brushing off all the candy crumbs. Then he paused. “You look pretty comfortable... um, do you mind if we nap together?”

“Go ahead. I have been defeated.”

With that, Matsuda smiled, crawling underneath the sheets from the other side. L huddled closer, and found himself slipping away almost instantly into a warm, comfortable sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if this is pretty short- but I hope you like it! (I especially hope the recipient does– hi lallorona04!) I did this for the 2019 Lawtsuda Exchange- check out more cute stuff soon at lawtsudaexchange.tumblr.com !


End file.
